The Tea Party vs. GOP Hypocrisy

As the Tea Party continues to set its sights on astronomical and unsustainable government growth, Republicans have been eager to sing the movement’s tune. Promising to slash spending and balance budgets, the GOP’s newfound right-wing fiscal rhetoric has been characterized by mainstream pundits as a once “respectable” Republican Party kowtowing to conservative “extremists” for whom the debt crisis continues to represent the one and only crisis.

But mainstream defenders of America’s economic status quo (aka broke) can rest easy. Washington’s political establishment has nothing to fear from the Republican Party. Though good at talking the conservative talk, when it comes down to actually walking the walk—the GOP remains handicapped as ever.

Just ask the man The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart recently described as the “walkiest” of Tea Party Republicans, Senator Rand Paul. Paul rejected the budget proposals of both parties this week, pointing out that the GOP countering a Democratic plan which features a $1.6 trillion deficit with a Republican plan which features a $1.5. trillion deficit, is no counter at all. Said Paul on the Senate floor: “The president’s plan will add $13 trillion to the debt, and the Republicans say ‘oh, well ours is a lot better.’ Theirs will add $12 trillion to the debt. I think it’s out of control, and neither plan will do anything to significantly alter things… they also pale in comparison to the problem.”

Pale indeed. While Democrats, predictably and laughably, could only come up with $4 billion in budget cuts, Republicans—whose “Pledge to America” during the midterm election promised to slash spending by $100 billion—could only come up with $57 billion in cuts. To put this in perspective, recently deposed Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak received over $60 billion from the United States during his reign. To further put this in perspective, when Sen. Paul proposed we cut foreign aid last month, critics—including most Republicans—dismissed his proposal immediately and pointed out that what America spends on foreign aid is too small to substantively address our debt. Now many of these same Republicans expect grassroots conservatives to be satisfied with a paltry $57 billion in cuts.

In keeping his promises to the Tea Party, Paul isn’t completely alone but he virtually is. Joined by Mike Lee of Utah and Jim DeMint of South Carolina, Paul was one of only three Republican senators to reject the GOP’s budget plan as being so weak as to virtually mean nothing. Not surprisingly, Paul, Lee and DeMint make up the Tea Party Caucus in the Senate, a group Senator Marco Rubio of Florida—who was voted into office riding the Tea Party wave in the midterm election—says he will not join, fearing that the movement could be co-opted by the Washington establishment. But Rubio voted for the Republicans weak budget plan this week. The Tea Party Caucus did not.

But in Rubio’s defense, this is what Republicans typically do. For decades Republican politicians have used conservative rhetoric to win elections yet come to Washington, DC to spend as much as the Democrats. Critics on both the Left and Right who say the Tea Party represents a radical departure from plain, old vanilla “conservatism” are correct in the sense that the Republicans who’ve typically exploited that term haven’t accomplished anything conservative for decades. For the Tea Party to mean business it necessarily must deviate dramatically from the Republican status quo, and given the weight of our debt and the radical growth of government, any Tea Party-worthy proposals must necessarily be comparably radical in the opposite direction. How radical? Paul has proposed $500 billion in cuts, which as he explained on the Senate floor this week, still isn’t drastic enough:

“I recently proposed $500 billion in cuts and when I went home and spoke to the people of my state, spoke to those from the Tea Party, they said, $500 billion is not enough and they’re right… $500 billion is a third of one year’s problem. Up here that’s way too bold, but it’s not even enough… So I implore the American public and those here to look at this problem and say to Congress, we’re not doing enough; you must cut more.”

Needless to say and despite their rhetoric, the vast majority of Republicans are wholly unwilling to do anything to substantively address our big government woes, including some who’ve carried the Tea Party banner. The chasm between voters’ desires and the establishment’s will remains wide as ever, reflecting the same disconnect that has long frustrated Americans from across the ideological spectrum with Washington politics.

Any real conservative movement would be up in arms that more Republicans didn’t join Paul, Lee and DeMint in rejecting the GOP’s joke of a budget. But American “conservatism” has confused partisanship for principle for so long that talk radio finds more value in complaining about the First Lady’s travel schedule or worrying about the Muslim Brotherhood than discussing the fiscal terrorists in this country and in both parties who continue to hold America’s children and grandchildren hostage.

The Senate Republicans who voted for this week’s GOP budget proposal proved once again that they are not the revolutionaries they pretend to be. They are liars. And the Tea Party must not forget it.

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30 Responses to The Tea Party vs. GOP Hypocrisy

Why no mention of Senator Schumer’s suggestion? He asked that instead of focusing on an incredibly small part of the budget (discretionary spending) that would never yield the results republicans and Tea party say they want that they open up the discussion to include defense, entitlements and revenue.

The ruse being played out now is just a ruse. All the programs the Republicans have targeted for elimination/deep cuts are programs they don’t support any how. And at the same time these very same Republicans ALL voted to continue to subsidize Big Oil at a time when they are the most profitable sector of the American economy.

Rubio and Alan West and other “Tea Party Republicans” are as much War Party as they are Tea Party. From their PoV, funding the obsolete and unaffordable “muscular” American Empire Project in full is non-negotiable.

The Tea Party movement has been hijacked by the Neocons. Ron and Rand Paul remind me of Dr. Miles Bennell engaging the Pod People in Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

The Tea Party movement hasn’t been hijacked – it’s been bankrolled by corporations and it’s composed of older-, whiter-, and richer-than-average people whose interests do not match the great majority of American working people.
Of course there are working class people in the Tea Party, but they do not determine its political agenda.

When the Tea Party in Wisconsin came out in support of Scott Walker, they were basically saying they’d prefer that government step in to strip rights away from private citizens. The Tea Party would claim they’re doing it to save Wisconsin money, but now that the GOP has separated the collective bargaining bill from the larger fiscal bill, I don’t see the Tea Party complaining.

The fact that public sector workers are paid less than private sector counterparts, and the fact that many public-sector workers’ pensions are funded through stock market investment, seem to argue that gov’t workers are actually a net bargain financially for the government, compared to the private sector.

Re: Zac in VA “The fact that public sector workers are paid less than private sector counterparts, and the fact that many public-sector workers’ pensions are funded through stock market investment, seem to argue that gov’t workers are actually a net bargain financially for the government, compared to the private sector.

Yikes! You got that wrong. Most publice sector pension plans are defined benefit NOT defined contribution like in private industry.

Public sector pension plans may invest in volatile equities, but the actual benefits are usually guaranteed. I.e., the benefits are obligated even if the pension plan totally tanks.

That’s a primary reason States are broke and will stay broke under the existing contractual regime with state workers.

“Public sector pension plans may invest in volatile equities, but the actual benefits are usually guaranteed. I.e., the benefits are obligated even if the pension plan totally tanks.

That’s a primary reason States are broke and will stay broke under the existing contractual regime with state workers.”

And that is why focusing on union busting and not on the real problem in the cost of public services through public employees is what is wrong with what is going on in Wisconsin.

Those public employee pensions are indeed garanteed by the states and cities, which is why they invest in the markets to try and ensure growth to meet the demand of paying the benefits in the future. Yet when the market expereinces a crash like in did in 2008 and those responsible for the crash received large government payments to subsidize their bonuses for greed and failed speculation, by many of the same people now blaming the pensions of teachers and firefighters, then how can you take their “concern” for the fiscal position of the politician pursing these policies. Additionally, didn’t the same governor give about 150 million in hand outs to business before going after the public unions??

The appraoch to the future obligation problem is not to bust the union, but to engage them as a partner and work toward converting those garanteed benefit pension into to garanteed contribution retirement plans, as we have in the private sector. However, when you take stubborn, ideological, and unreasonable position, like Walker in Wisconsin you make it impossbile to reach real, rational, and agreeable solutions that will actually address the problem at hand.

Unfortunately, the corporatist (Republican Party) party is more interested in contiuing the long slide into corporate fascism in this country than they are with preserving the American Way of LIfe that they so often speak of, or should I say prematurely eulogize.

Gov Walker’s victory in stripping away collective bargaining will have the same effect as the Democrats’ victory in passing healthcare last year as both were and will be punished at the ballot box in the next election/recall cycle.

All the Tea Party hypocrites need to thank Gov Walker for single-handedly guaranteeing Wisconsin go Obama in 2012 and for ensuring a much easier reelection nationally eliminating any possible way to repeal healthcare and its poison pill before it goes viral in 2014.

@SteveM: hey, fair point about the defined benefits.
I will add, though, that the root cause of this crisis, of course, is not unions or pensions or, really, much of anything the states did themselves – the blame lies with Wall Street and the bailout (and Bailout Vote #2, of course).

The fact is that public sector workers in Wisconsin are paid more than their private sector counterparts seems to be a detail that has fallen through the cracks. In our public school district the median teacher compensation is $80,000 per year. That is a far cry from when teachers started at $13,000 per year back in the mid 1980’s. The myth of public sector employment is non lucrative is a myth that needs to be exposed and in fact it is being exposed. Citizens are aghast to find out that some teachers in Milwaukee are compensated an annual package worth $120,000 per year.

So ask a private sector graphic designer who also has a college degree who is topping out at $50,000 a year (and is a target of downsizing for making too much money and corporate taxes in Wisconsin are too high to keep paying that 50K or more even tho employee is brilliant) why he or she did not become an art teacher instead… Their answer will be: “Those who can do the art/design work in the profession & those who can’t simply teach the fundamentals.”

As for the commenters, interesting that most devolve down to the states’ financial problems with heavy emphasis on Wisconsin.

Hunter didn’t refer to the states once, yet that’s where the commenters are stuck.

The store is broke.

Public unions stand in a completely different situation from private unions — they depend on tax payer money.

Hey, I’m flexible, I don’t have it out for the public unions, as such, it’s just that they did play a part in driving up the states’ budgets — and if there was a prolonged economic slump, such as we have, now, the wage & benefit packages were unsustainable.

That’s fiscal reality — deal with it.

All public employees, whether unionized or not, better get pumping for economic growth or all this union or not shouting & passion will be so much “rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic”.

Jack Hunter is trying to pierce the bubble that is Washington D. C. reality, er, fantasy — a fantasy both parties have been indulging for a long, long time.

Time to take a cold shower.

I applaud Jack Hunter for speaking truth to power.

And trying to inject fiscal reality into the situation.

Democrats, and I know a lot of Democrats read this website for its anti-wars views, what is your fiscal reality?

The store is broke.

Don’t soak the rich, at least those making under a million dollars — they’re the potential engine for reviving America’s economy.

The government isn’t the answer — that’s just driving the Titanic squarely into the fiscal iceberg — and we all know how that story ended.

I have a hard time comprehending why people are agaisnt the tea party. They have 3 core principals; free markets, fiscal responsibility and a constitutionally limited government. This is what they preach and this is how they vote. Why does any American have a problem with these principals?

I grapple with the label of Tea party conservative in as much as it would totally restrict any involvement in foreign affairs. I do not believe the founding fathers were in fact “isolationists”. We, in revolutionary times, asked for and received support from foreign governments. We also gave aid where our interests were involved. The line comes in when we elect people who do not know what our interests are, or they try to redefine those interests to fit a specific agenda. We need the cuts but we also need to make sure we help keep our allies in freedom and liberty.
I believe in the Tea Party movement, but I am especially impressed that it has NOT become another political party as it then can be swayed. Mr. Paul does not lead that movement.

Thank God somebody called this farce for what it is. The republicans are doing the minimum possible and the democrats are fighting tooth and nail on even that little bit. Time to face facts: America is getting poorer and weaker, and the welfare/warfare state is simply unsustainable in it’s current form. We’ve been sold down the river by our own government and it’s time to pay the piper. Let the republicans come up with 500 billion in cuts and I’ll start to take them seriously.

Historically speaking, Republicans are extremely good at making false promises.

Once upon a time, there was a Republican president in America named Ronald Wilson Reagan who campaigned for reducing the size of government and eliminate Cabinet departments; but, he wound up adding one, the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Ronald Reagan campaigned as an implacable foe of government deficit-spending; but, he left office with a Federal debt that was nearly triple its level when he took office.

So, gentlemen, as you can easily figure out, if someone claims to be a Republican, there is actually no difference between truths and outright lies to that individual’s mind.

Reagan deserves a bit of a break, as he was working with a hostile Congress that wouldn’t get rid of eg the Dept of Education. Reagan wasn’t perfect but he was at least somewhat sincere. Now since Reagan, the republicans have proven themselves worse than useless, and it’s time people woke up to that fact.

This is exactly why Tea Partiers and Libertarians are NOT Republicans and never will be Republicans. They don’t belong in the Republican Party. They are in fact the REAL RINOS!

And I mean that in a nice way. Seriously!

At this point they should gleefully adopt the acronym RINO and stop using it as a insult. The only choice the Real Rinos (meant as a compliment) have is to become an official 3rd party so that they can stop trying to infiltrate a so-called “corrupt” organization.

Sarah Palin said we would go the way of the Whigs! OK. Good.
Give it your best shot “1/2 term QUITTER” because I refuse to even vote as long as my sworn enemies (the people of Tea, Glen Beck fans, the Palinites, and the Paulbots) are trying to take over the Republican Party.

I didn’t start this stupid little propaganda war it was started by Ron Paul’s pals decades ago. The truth is that the Paulbots are even worse than the Liberals.

You Tea People want to destroy the Republicans?
Well then we will just let time take care of you. In 2 voting cycles there won’t be a Tea movement anymore. All you are is ROSS PEROT all over again. I will not vote as long as people who hate me (the Real Rinos) inhabit (infect) the Republican Party.

And I am not saying that the Republicans are unflawed. Not at all. Its just that I refuse to vote for or with people who hate me and for people who are hostile to Biblical Christianity. The lesser of 2 evils is still evil and Libertarianism is purely evil. The very first act of Libertarianism was when the Devil gave the apple to Eve.

Current Republicans are just following what Ronald Wilson Reagan did repeatedly: Cutting taxes for people making over $200,000 a year and spending money that American government actually does not have.

“Democratic Congress forced President Reagan to do those horrible things!” argument simply does not match up to Ronald Wilson Reagan’s behavior.

A typical Republican is an individual who will say, thou shall not commit adultery, but the fact is that individual has been committing adultery for a long time.

A typical Republican is an individual who will say, thou shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, but the fact is that same individual has committed that grievous sin already.

Therefore, what a Republican says and what s/he actually does are two different things.

The Democratic Congress didn’t force Reagan to do anything, and his foolish policies belong to him, even if not him alone. But that wasn’t what I said. I said that the Democrats in Congress prevented Reagan from doing a lot of good that by all indications he had a mind to do. Reagan wasn’t perfect, or even very good, but he was a far cry from GWB.

I think you are kind of a nut! Your cherished Republican Party destroyed itself with lies. What happened to that Contract With America lie? You probably would vote for Newt Gungrich. Ask him what happened!

Sir, you are the one that needs to take a good hard look at reality what your Republican Party is about. In Texas we have a Republican governor that is not 100% pro-life. And nationally your party is full of those middle of the road Republitards that lean pro choice. Plus, yuo guys now associate with the Log Cabin Republicans. Your cherished party represents everything but Biblical morality!

Get on board with the Constitution Party if you want a political party that supports Biblical aspetcs. And they do it 100%..pro life is pro life…there is no middle road on the subject. Quit being fooled by the scoundrels in the republican Party

Its just that I cannot and will not support the Libertarian/Americaism (or the Liberal/Commie/Homo agenda because they are UN-CHRISTIAN. Its just that simple.

And I am not alone. Every time that Libertarianism rises to the top a percentage of Christians don’t vote. They stay home. We cannot vote with the false religions of Libertarianism (Americanism, Constituion Worship, Flag Worship, Nationalism, Money Worship…)

And its not just that Ayn Rand’s Philosophy is the foundational principles for the Satanic Bible (according to Anton Levay of the Church of Satan) or that Ayn Rand was HOSTILE to Christianity. Its much much more than that!

Libertarians (of all varieties) preach a false Gospel with a false Christ where SALVATION is by THEM as long as they are in control of the money. They worship False Idols (Money Sex Borders Drugs National Identity and Freedom to do anything…) even when they know it to be UN-BIBLICAL. Basically they are no diffferent than Satans Servants the Liberals except they are (or claim to be) Fiscally responsible.

A 2% loss of Christian votes = a win for the other side.
A 5% loss of Christian votes = a Landlside for Obama.

Glenn Beck and the Tea People have already re-elected Obama.
If you want to blame anyone blame yourselves cause you caused this!

Hey carpenter, I never trusted Glenn Beck even before he set the trap for Texas Gubernatorial candidate Debra Medina. And that is not even mentioning Beck’s seemingly allignment with New Age trickery like that of the gal on the West Coast.

You get sort of deep in your conversation but let’s take a look at how eveil the Republican Party is, the case of Debra Medina as an example.

Sounds to me you may want to do as I will likely do in general elections, vote for the Constitution Party candidate if there is one and if the powers that be within the two socialist parties, the Republicans and Democrats, will “allow” ballot access.

Ballot access, hum, another story. Why right here in Texas one of those good ol boys status quo Republitards has a bill introduced in the legislature that makes for even more stringent requirements for thrid parties to gain access on ballots.

Right now I think this country sorely needs a third party or parties. It slays me the fear of some within the crony parties that even care if a thrid party is on the ballot. Evidently however for a state legislator to make this ballot access a priority someone seems to be concerned.

There is one aspect in this subject that I don’t see raised much. Specifically, why are all these pension plans not able to meet their projected outlays?

Well, I suspect there are two reasons. One is past governments underfunded their liabilities. Let’s face it, it is easy to do kicking the can down the road and all. The other I think is more prominent. I know it affected me and my mutual funds. That is the Wall Street implosion. Lots of money disappeared in the last couple years. A significant amount of it went out the window (actually got transferred to winning parties) with the knowledge and help of the finance industry.

Other than Matt Taibbi’s article in The Rolling Stone (http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/why-isnt-wall-street-in-jail-20110216) no one is asking why the crooks who took all this money are still running the finance industry and why no one has been arrested and charged with fraud. I believe they were complicit. I had Mortgage Industry friends who knew the paper they were writing was bad. Their bosses knew the paper was bad. No one cared because they all knew it was getting passed on to some other sucker and they wouldn’t be caught holding the bag. Many pensions, 401k’s, mutual funds (mine) took it in the shorts because of these people and these people are still running the show. Why is that? Certainly they are much more pertinent than a school teacher or a cop or a fireman on the public payroll.

This is why I am all for purging the Republican ranks of Washington insiders. A lot of commentators were fuming that Christine O’Donnell got the Delaware nomination for Senate because they believed she couldn’t win and would just hand the election to the Democrat. Yes, that did in fact happen, but if conservatives had just considered electability, we’d have another one of these big government types in the Senate right now. It sucks that we have the Democrat, but we need to begin purging out the namby pamby Republican types, and that risks occasionally giving an election to a Democrat. If we don’t take the risk, we’ll never get better, more conservative candidates.

The bailouting, spending and the PRINTING will continue until a currency crisis and or full blown economic collapse due to a default on our foreign debt FORCE it to stop. Either way 10 years from now the United States will be a third world country with nukes. The United States of Mexico/Argentina – Change your getting.